Third Place for Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia Racing in Balaton Park Race

Race day at Balaton Park ended with an extremely positive balance for Aprilia Racing. Marco Bezzecchi was once again one of the major protagonists of the Sunday race (August 24). The Italian rider moved into the lead straight away at the first corner, solidly maintaining the top spot for a good part of the race. In the final stage, he yielded the position but still finished with an excellent third place to give the manufacturer from Noale their seventh podium of the season, including the victory earned in Silverstone. For Bezzecchi, this is also a significant milestone in his career: for the first time since his debut in the top class, he has taken three consecutive race podiums.

It was an extremely positive day for Jorge Martín as well, as he rode a brilliant comeback race. After starting from the sixteenth spot on the grid, the Spanish rider recovered an amazing twelve positions, finishing fourth – his best result yet with Aprilia Racing. This is a historic achievement as only one other rider has managed to finish in the top four within the first four Grand Prix races with Aprilia Racing – Tetsuya Harada, third in his fourth GP race at the Paul Ricard circuit in 1999.

MARCO BEZZECCHI: “The race was anything but easy because I honestly didn’t expect the soft tyre to wear so much. However, at the same time, it was the only tyre I was able to stop well with on the braking sections, so I needed it. I am certain that I gave my all and, for this reason, I can’t help but to be pleased.”

JORGE MARTÍN: “I learned a lot and I continued to grow. Starting sixteenth was not an easy situation, but I had a clear starting strategy, especially for the first turns. After a few laps, I was already sixth and from there I just tried to maintain a good pace. The result was outstanding, especially for the team, who are truly happy and motivated. We took a huge step forward.”

MASSIMO RIVOLA: “A decidedly positive weekend, arriving at a track which, on paper, did not really suit the characteristics of our bike. We clearly struggled on Friday, but it was fantastic to see the team pull together and work hard, taking Marco through to Q2 and a brilliant lap in qualifying to earn second place. Jorge increased his feeling with the bike so much that he rode a spectacular comeback race, honestly above all expectations. Once again, Marco had the courage to take the lead and to battle all the way to the last drops of energy – his and the bike’s. I cannot help but to be proud of the work we are all doing together.”

credit: Aprilia